Contributor

With many people spending 40+ hours at the office every week, it almost becomes like your second home. Sometimes you need to stock up on various items to make your work life more comfortable.

When I first started working, my mom gave me a very good piece of advice that I still utilize to this day. She said, “Sammy, make sure you have a distress drawer.” Having no idea what she was talking about, I asked her to explain. Essentially, she suggested I keep one drawer in my desk full of things for potential emergencies: cold medicine, panty hose (in case you get a rip–the ladies will tell you, it happens), a lint brush, extra shoes, band-aids, etc. The list goes on.

I’ve made use of my “distress drawer” more times than I count; it’s a precautionary move that really has no down side. The photo above is my current drawer. I’m actually running low on a few things but usually I’m well taken care of if I get myself into a pinch (ie: remind me to tell you about the time I snapped the heel off my shoe on the way to an interview…good times).

Do you do anything similar? How many of you stash must-have items at work?

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